ESPN’s Buster Olney reported Friday afternoon that the Texas Rangers are among the teams in talks with the Tampa Bay Rays regarding Isaac Paredes and Yandy Diaz.
Diaz was named to the All-Star team as a first baseman in 2023, and Paredes was an All-Star third baseman this summer.
Tampa Bay is in the running to make a deal after the Rays also declared themselves sellers, sending outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Mariners and pitcher Zach Eflin to the Orioles.
Both Diaz and Paredes play at positions the Rangers have plenty of, so they could slot in as a DH or play defensively if needed, and the extra hitter would be welcomed as the Rangers have the worst OPS in MLB from the DH slot in their lineup.
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Diaz narrowly edged out Corey Seager for the AL batting title in 2023 with a .330 batting average, but his production has dipped slightly this season. His .726 OPS is down from his .805 career average and .932 in 2023, but it would still be a big improvement for the Rangers.
Paredes is doing well this season, currently posting a .797 OPS and an OPS+ of 129, but with Josh Smith and Josh Jung both playing third base, the position is likely to become even more crowded.
Paredes’ performance has also declined significantly as the season has progressed, dropping from an .867 OPS in March and April and a .915 OPS in May to a .713 OPS in June and a .640 OPS in July. Paredes’ batting average in July is just .136.
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Both players are under lucrative contracts beyond this season: Diaz is under contract through 2025 for $18 million total, with a team option for $12 million in 2026, while Paredes is under contract through the 2027 season.
The Rangers, who were buoyed by rumors of sellers in July just before the deadline, made it clear they were buyers at the deadline. But tensions remain high after Friday’s walk-off loss to the Blue Jays, with the first-place Astros and second-place Mariners both winning. The Texans are 3.5 games behind Houston and 2.5 games behind Seattle going into Saturday.
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